Ice machine



June 12, 1956 Filed May 13. 1952 G. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet lG. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE June 12, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13. 1952INSUL/l Tl/VG CASING i 1 \Lllll'L G. TREPAUD ICE MACHINE June 12, 1956I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 13, 1952 ICE MACHINE Georges Trpaud, Paris,France Application May 13, 1952, Serial No. 287,483

Claims priority, application Netherlands May 23, 1951 Claims. (Cl.62-106) The present invention relates to an apparatus intended to freezea liquid circulating in a nest of tubular pipes, the outer surface ofwhich is in contact, alternatively, with a refrigerating fluid duringthe congelation process and with a reheating fluid during the iceremoval process. The invention aims at giving a fairly continuousoutput.

The apparatus is characterized in that the tubular nest is divided inseveral groups of freezing pipes and includes self acting means intendedto separate successively each group of pipes from the flow of liquid tobe congealed and of the refrigerating fluid, to bring the pipes of saidisolated group into contact with the reheating fluid and to remove theice bars from the pipes or" said group.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention, applied to the makingof ice by means of the direct expansion of a cold producing fluid, willbe described hereafter and illustrated in the annexed drawing.

The Figure 1 is a vertical section along the axis of the apparatus.

The Figure 2 is a horizontal section along the line 11-11 of Figure 1.

The Figure 3 is a horizontal section along the line III--Ill of Figure1.

The Figures 4, 5, 6 are views in perspective, partly in section of thevarious elements of the lower part of the apparatus.

The apparatus includes a cylindrical body 1 (Figure l) in which isvertically set a central tube 2; round this tube 2, six cylindricalwatertight casings 3 are arranged symmetrically, each casing containinga group of seven freezing pipes 4 (Fig. 2). The pipes 4 are mounted inpipe holding plates 5 and 6 and open, at their upper and lower ends, inthe cylindrical ducts 7 of the two thawing chambers, the upper chamber8, the lower chamber 9. The central tube 2 is mounted in the bore 10bored out in the two thawing chambers 8, 9. These chambers are shaped toallow the circulation of a fluid round the cylindrical ducts 7. Sleeves11, with slots 12, form eXtensions for the ducts 7 of the lower thawingchamber 9. The Figure 6 shows in detail the setting of these sleeves 11in the lower thawing chamber 9.

The whole of the apparatus is topped by a circular cover 13, set on theupper thawing chamber 8 and having a central bore 14 in which is mountedthe stand 15 of a motor 16. The cover 13 may have holes communicatingwith the atmosphere and an overflow pipe to allow the free expansion ofthe water. The stand 15 consists of a tube 17 surrounding the shaft 18of the motor 16 and of blades 19 extending in the central tube 2. Theshaft 18 bears a propeller 20.

in the upper compartment 21, a disc-valve 22 is arranged over each groupof freezing pipes 4, said discvalve bearing a stem 23 sliding in a bore24 in the cover 13. The stems 23 and the disc-valves 22 are axiallybored and these channels 25 open at both ends. The stems 23 are actuatedby tippers 26, hinged at 27 on the ited States Patent 2 cover 13.Vertical rods 28 are linked to the outer ends 29 of the tippers 26.

At the base of the apparatus, a lower compartment 30, closed by a bottom31, is fixed on the lower thawing chamber 9. This bottom 31 is dividedin six identical cells 32 by means of six radial partitions 33 (Figs. 3and 4). Each cell 32 corresponds to a group of pipes 4. The radialpartitions 33 are limited in the center by a cylindrical central socket34, corresponding with the base of the central tube 2 and provided withlateral apertures 35 to connect each cell 32 with the central tube 2.The base of the bottom 31 is bored with holes 36 corresponding to thepipes 4 and in which are inserted the split sleeves 11.

A revolving table 37 (Fig. 5) is applied on the bottom 31: it includes acentral opened socket 38, mounted with an easy fit in the fixed socket34 and provided with lateral apertures 39 corresponding to the apertures35, the number of said apertures 39 being one unit smaller than thenumber of the apertures 35; a solid portion 40 interrupts the connectionof one of the cells 32 with the central tube 2. In addition, holes 41are bored in the revolving table in such a way that they correspond tothe tubes 4 of a single group.

The revolving table 37 is mounted on a vertical shaft 42 on which iskeyed a bevel pinion 43.

A cutting plate 44 is coupled to the revolving table 37, underneath saidtable, to turn with it: the cutting plate is bored with holes 45corresponding to the holes 41 of the table 37. The cutting plate 44 iscontrolled by means of a cam 46 and a spring 47. The cam 46 is mountedon a vertical hollow shaft 48 surrounding the shaft 42. A bevel pinion49 is keyed on the hollow shaft 48. The shaft 42 is rotateddiscontinuously, one sixth of a turn at a time, by means of a Maltesecross device, or the like, whilst the shaft 48 turns in anunintermitting way.

The lower face of the revolving table 37 has at its edge the shape of acam 50, cooperating with rollers 51 mounted on the lower ends of therods 28. The cam 50 is notched at 52 in the sector corresponding to thebores 41. A trough 53 having a sloping bottom is arranged under theapparatus.

The thawing chambers 8 and 9 include pipes 54 connected with the highpressure portion of the refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator preferablyoperated with dichlorofluorinemethane and having a compressor 59, acondenser 60 and a supply tank 57.

Figure 1 shows schematically the connection of one group of freezingpipes 3 with the refrigerant circuit.

The watertight casings 3 are equipped with pipes 55, connected with thehigh pressure portion of the circuit of the refrigerator and with pipes56 connected with the low-pressure portion of said circuit. A supplychamber 57'(Fig. 2), in which open the pipes 55, 56, is placed betweenthe apparatus and the refrigerator.

Baflles 58 are fitted in each watertight casing 3: these bafiles are,for instance, of the type described in the French Patent No. 797,552 ofthe same applicant.

Thermostatic gates (not shown) are preferably placed between eachfreezing group and the supply chamber 57 on the inlet pipe 56 for thecold producing fluid.

The apparatus works as follows:

The apparatus is filled with water by means of a constant level device,and the motor 16 driving the propellor 2t) circulates this water so thatit flows down through the central tube 2 and flows up through thefreezing pipes 4. The water discharges under a very small head in theupper compartment 21; a stuffing box is not necessary for the shaft 18of the propeller 20, and the tube 17 secures a sufficient tightness.

At each moment, one group of freezing tubes is in the Patented June 12,1956 ice removal state, Whilst the five others are in the freezingstate. The cold producing fluid flows through the pipes 56 in the groupsin the freezing state: the disc-valves 22 are lifted whilst, for thecells 32 corresponding to these five groups the apertures 39 areopposite the apertures 35. The water may thereby flow in the pipes 4 ofthese five groups and freeze gradually, yielding its calories to thecold producing fluid which circulates round the pipes 4 along a coursewhich is lengthened by the baffles 58. On the contrary, the group in theice removal state receives, through the pipes 55', the reheating fluid.The corresponding disc-valve 22 is lowered, whilst the solid portion 40of the socket 34 closes the aperture 35 of the cell 22 corresponding tothe group in the ice removal state. The pipes 4 of said group arethereby put out of the circulation of water. The reheating fluid guidedby the baffles 58, yields calories the ice-bars formed and these barsslide down on account of there own weight, as, for this group, the holes41 are opposite the holes 36 of the bottom 31. The ice-bars are guided,during their fall, by the sleeves 11, the slots 12 of which allow theoutlet of the water. The channel 25 of the disc-valve 22 of this groupallows the free entrance of the air above the ice-bars.

The reheating fluid flows permanently through the thawing chambers, thuspreventing the formation, at the ends of the ice-bars, of plugs whichcould hinder the downfall of these bars.

As they fall down, the ice-bars are cut into sections by the plate 44 inits linear reciprocating motion. The principle of this cutting devicehas been stated in the French patent application of the same inventor,dated December 1950, for a Device for the Cutting Into Sections of theIce-Bars Produced in Tubular Ice-Machines.

When all the ice-bars of the group which is in the state of ice removalhave been cut into sections, the Maltese cross device rotates the table37 of one sixth of a turn. The cam 50 lifts the lowered disc-valve 22,whilst the disc-valve of a neighbouring group is lowered in turn. Thesolid portion 40 obturates the aperture 35 of the cell 22 correspondingto this neighbouring group. The circulation of water is thereby stoppedin the neighbouring group but restored in the preceding group.

Simultaneously, the supply chamber 57 sends reheating fluid in the groupwhich is cut from the circulation of water and sends cold producingfluid, instead of the reheating fluid, in the group from which ice hasbeen removed.

At regular intervals and in a circular permutation, the ice is removedin succession from the groups, thus securing a fairly continuous outputof ice.

The above described apparatus offers in addition the advantage that thetemperature intervals are reduced in the whole apparatus. It must benoted that the temperature of the mass of water contained in theapparatus remains always very close to and that only a small addition offrigories is necessary at each phase to congeal the ice-bars.

What I claim is:

1. Tubular vertical ice-machine, including several identical groups offreezing pipes, an insulating casing arranged round each group, a coldproducing source, a heat producing source, means to connect said sourceswith each of said casings, an upper compartment and a lower compartmentinto which open respectively the two ends of the freezing pipes,disc-valves in the upper compartment above each of said groups offreezing pipes respectively, the lower compartment including cells, thenumber of which is the same as the number of groups, a central andcylindrical return tube, connecting the upper compartment and the lowercompartment, means to produce a forced circ lation of the liquid to becongealed set on the axis of said return tube, a driving motor outsidethe ice-machine, a shaft connecting said means to said motor, arevolving distributor constituted by a table having bores inprolongation of the freezing pipes of a group, a cam adapted to actuatethe means controlling the disc-valves, a central shaft bearing saidplate, a cylindrical central socket provided with apertures, the numberof which is equal, but one, to the number of the groups on the otherface of the table, a cylindrical recess in the lower compartment in theprolongation of the central tube, an aperture for each cell in the wallof this recess, the socket of the distributor being set with an easy fitin said recess and their apertures being superposable, a pinion on thecentral shaft to impart to the distributor a discontinuous motion sothat each group successively passes opposite the holes of the lowercompartment.

2. Tubular vertical ice-machine, including several identical groups offreezing pipes, an insulating casing arranged round each group, a coldproducing source, a heat producing source, means to connect said sourceswith each of said casings, an upper compartment and a lower compartmentinto which open respectively the two ends of the freezing pipes,disc-valves in the upper compartment above each of said groups offreezing pipes respectively, the lower compartment including cells, thenumber of which is the same as the number of groups, a return tube,connecting the upper compartment and the lower compartment, means toproduce a forced circulation of the liquid to be congealed set on theaxis of said return tube, a driving motor outside the ice-machine, ashaft connecting said means to said motor, a distributor, meansconnecting at any time the lower part of the return tube with all thecells but one of the lower compartment, said distributor comprising atable, holes provided in this table in the prolongation of the freezingpipes of a group, a cutting plate for the ice-bars, bores having partlychamfered edges in said plate, the number of said bores being equal tothe number of the bores in the table of the distributor, a hollow shaft,a cam set on said shaft, a spring between the cutting plate and thedistributor, said cutting plate being connected with the table of thedistributor and being into contact with the cam, said shaft being ableto receive a uniform rotational motion.

3. In a tubular freezing machine a cold and a heat producing source, aplurality of identical operating units each comprising a plurality offreezing pipes and each provided with an insulating casing and withmeans whereby each of said casings is individually connectable to saidcold and heat producing sources, an upper compartment into which leadthe upper ends of the freezing pipes of all said units, means forfeeding the liquid to be frozen into said compartment, valve meansadapted to selectively control the communication of the groups of saidfreezing pipes with said upper compartment, a lower compartment providedwith several cells into which open the lower ends of said freezing pipesbelonging to said groups respectively, a common return tube having itsupper and lower ends opening into said upper and lower compartmentsrespectively, means arranged inside said return tube to produce a forcedcirculation of the liquid to be frozen and to completely fill thefreezing pipes with the liquid flowing therethrough, a driving motorarranged outside said common return tube and a shaft connecting saidcirculating means with said motor, rotatable distributing means arrangedin said lower compartment and adapted to always connect the lower partof the return tube with all the cells but one of the lower .compartment,and linking members actuated by said distributing means and controllingsaid upper valve means to simultaneously connect all but one of thefreezing groups with the upper compartment.

4. A tubular freezing machine comprising a cold and a heat producingsource, a plurality of identical operating units each comprising aplurality of vertical freezing pipes and each provided with acylindrical insulating casing, the axis of said casing being located ona circle, means whereby each of said casing is individually connectablewith said cold and heat producing sources, a common insulatingcylindrical casing surrounding with its central part said insulatedfreezing units, said common casing being provided with an upper andlower transversal partition into which are fitted the open upper andlower ends of all the freezing pipes respectively, an upper compartmentarranged above said upper partition and provided with means for feedingthe liquid to be frozen thereto and with valve means selectivelycontrolling the communication of the freezing groups with saidcompartment, a divided lower compartment arranged below said lowerpartition and provided with several cells into which open the lower endsof the freezing pipes belonging to said groups respectively, a largecommon return tube centrally and coaxially arranged inside the outercasing and having its ends opening in said upper and lower compartmentsrespectively a rotatable shaft arranged along the axis of said returntube, a helical propeller arranged on said shaft inside said tube anddriving means to rotate said propeller shaft whereby a forced turbulentfiow of'the liquid to be frozen is produced in the circuit consisting ofthe upper compartment, the freezing pipes, the lower compartment and thecommon return tube, rotatable distributing means arranged in said lowercompartment and adapted to connect at any time the lower part of thereturn tube with all the cells except one of the lower compartment, andlinking members actuated by said distributing means and controlling saidupper valve means to simultaneously connect all except one of thefreezing groups with the upper compartment.

5. A tubular freezing machine comprising a cold producing source and aheat producing source, a plurality of identical operative units eachcomprising a plurality of vertical freezing pipes and provided with acylindrical insulating casing, the axis of said casing being located ona circle, means whereby each of said casings is individually connectablewith said cold and said heat producing sources, a common insulatingcylindrical casing surrounding with its central part said insulatedfreezing groups, said common casing being provided with an upper andlower transversal partition into which are fitted the open upper andlower ends of all the freezing pipes respectively, a common uppercompartment arranged above said upper partition and provided with meansfor feeding the liquid to be frozen thereto and with disc-shaped valvesarranged above each of said groups of the freezing tubes respectively toselectively control the communication of said groups with said uppercompartment, a divided lower compartment arranged below said lowerpartition and provided with a plurality of cells into which open thelower ends of the freezing pipes belonging to said groups respectively,a large common return tube centrally and coaxially arranged inside theouter casing and having its ends opening in said upper and lowercompartments respectively, a rotatable shaft arranged along the axis ofsaid return table, a helical propeller arranged on said shaft insidesaid tube and driving means to rotate said propeller shaft whereby aforced turbulent flow of the liquid to be frozen is produced in thecircuit consisting of the upper compartment, the freezing pipes, thelower compartment and the common return tube, a rotatable distributorarranged in the lower compartment and adapted to connect at any time thelower part of the return tube with all the cells but one of the lowercompartment, said distributor comprising a rotating table, a cam mountedon one face of said table, push rods actuated by said cam and rockersactuated by said push rods and controlling the disc-valves of the uppercompartment to simultaneously connect all but one of the freezing groupsto the upper compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,107,053 Coons Feb. 1, 1938 2,239,234 Kubaugh Apr. 22, 1941 2,522,507Field Sept. 19, 1950 2,546,092 Field Mar. 20, 1951 2,572,328 Field Oct.23, 1951 2,585,498 Rear Feb. 12, 1952 2,590,499 Braswell Nov. 25, 19522,663,162 Trepaud Dec. 22, 1953 2,700,280 Heuser Ian, 25, 1955

